Credits

Plot Information for Hayll

Hayll has sought a suitable Queen to rule for years, but the one it has chosen has become the pawn of a manipulative Prince plotting genocide. While slaves fight for their lives in the Coliseum, Nero Augustus, Consul of Hayll, plunges the Territory towards war safely behind his puppet Queen.

Author
Topic: History of Hayll (Read 116 times)

Hayll has, for a collection of well over three millennia, be riding on the shoulders of a Elettra Giulia, a Green Jeweled Queen who has more than served her due time for her people. For Elettra, moving from her position as a young Province Queen to the Territory Queen was a move that was unopposed by nearly all and welcomed with open arms by the Council and Senate. Not only was she the eldest daughter of one of the most wealthy of the 100 families, but she was an actual Queen. Through all the marriages for wealth, power, and social power, the most precious gift, the caste of the Queen, had been a precious gift in the Territory for as long as the oldest of them could remember, and then some. Thus, a Green Jeweled Queen from the 100 families was a gift Hayll would never give up.

There was a short time, a little over 300 years, that Elettra had not ruled. The eyes of the Council had found a younger Queen named Aleyia Tatiano, a mere 818 years to Elettra's 4,447 years, who wore the Blood Opal to the aging Queen's Green. Finally, the old Queen could rest and the Territory would be in the hands of a young, healthy Queen who would, without a doubt, bring glory to Hayll. No one had any idea what was to become the Territory known for it's graceful power and old ways.

Hayll was dragged through 378 years of absolute hell, Aleyia riding around with the Senate and Council trailing after her. Though the Territory had seen a fair share of greedy Queens, the balance of the Senate and Council was always enough to spare the land from the greed of its Queen. However, they were no match for an exceedingly greedy and ambitious Queen who wore, and flaunted, the Blood Opal. The land was neglected and forgotten, the men abused, used, and tossed aside like dolls, the Senate and Council partially corrupted and partially ignored, and through it all, no one could do a thing. The only pure blooded man who wore a Jewel dark enough to be listened to according to the Queen, Cornelius Augustus, was a 129 year old Warlord Prince who was wrapped around the Queen's finger. Those were Hayll's dark years, and years that many wish to learn from but otherwise forget. Though, at the time, no one thought they would ever end.

Aleyia’s rein was but fourteen years in when things got worse. No one saw it coming, and no one thought that the lives of those in Hayll could possibly get any worse. Oh how wrong they were. A war began. Typically, Hayllians are not fighters and prefer do get things done the dirty way behind the scene, but Askavi drew the fury and blood rage out of them all. For two years, the people of Hayll played the defensive, doing their best to keep life going as regularly as possible while keeping the winged invaders from getting too far within their boarder. But the Eyriens were a fighting race, and Hayllians were far from it; they had to do something more or they were going to lose their own Territory. It was the Black Widows and the Warlord Princes that saved them all. The most common castes in the Territory, they gathered all that were able and launched an attack into Askavi’s Territory, looking to kill all in a warrior’s camp there. However, the plan failed and the Hayllians ended up killing hundreds of Eyriens, but mostly women and children who were a far cry from being easy targets themselves. While their original plan was unsuccessful, it drove the winged warriors back from their Territory. Hayll held for the next five years, though their Queen doing little to make sure that her Territory did not fall. Aleyia was too concerned with the social games and little things inside her own court and paid no mind to the Eyriens. This drove the people mad, and with the Eyriens pulled back from their boarders, they turned their attentions to their Queen who was doing absolutely nothing to help her people. Assassination attempts started in some radical groups and protests were evident. The people of Hayll were fueled by their new found blood rage that the war had given them, and they were looking at their Queen who remained passive about the war. In a way, the people of Hayll should have taken this as a sign.

For five years, Hayll was safe from Askavi, but that ended when the winged warriors launched a massive attack against the people of Hayll, killing hundreds upon hundreds of Blood and Landen alike. It was Aleyia who surrendered the Territory to the invaders, also surrendering herself to them by taking an Eyrien Prince as her Consort. Everyone thought they knew what hell was like before, but now they really knew. Gone was their pride and way of life, for everything began changing. If you ask a Hayllian about the time Aleyia ruled over Hayll, you will get cold eyes and a brief sentence; “We learned from our mistake.” Never again would Hayll submit itself to a Queen who desired power and used force to control her Territory. Never again.

Purge Era

Quote

Witch saved Hayll. The storm that tore through the Realms was terrifying and filled with the power of the darkest gift from Mother Night herself and took many lives, but it saved many more. The center of the storm was in Askavi, thus, the winged warriors that had held Hayll for entirely too long took the blow the hardest. Hayll’s invaders left to return to their severely broken land or were killed themselves. Aleyia, feeling the dark power, shielded herself and the corrupt members of the Council with the might of her Blood Opal, preparing for the onslaught of power. This, thankfully, backfired. The power of her own Jewel slammed back against her in full force, shattering and killing those in her shields. Hayll was freed from its tyrannical Queen, though in its freedom it also lost more than half the Council, much of the Senate, and Jewels of many precious Queens. Hayll's rising star, a Queen by the name of Tyella Chiaro, was in line to become the next Queen of Hayll before the Purge; this was despite her common roots and limited Council support. The Queen was enigmatic and well liked and she became proof to Hayll that the Purge had spared no one. Tyella Chiaro's Jewels and mental stability had been forfeit on that fateful day but nearly a century later she would become a much needed mentor. Of the Dark Jeweled Queens, only Elettra remained unbroken. In her old age (and some say her lack of fear for death), she was sitting in her reading room in her favorite chair, waiting for the Witchstorm to pass. When it did, she rose and went to offer her aid to those that needed her. Many were adopted into her household after the Witchstorm called the Purge, and many began looking to her for guidance and salvation. Hayll was broken and without the security net they had, nearly four hundred years ago, thought to be fool proof, and it began to look to its old Queen once again.

In the chaos that was the purge, Elettra Giulia emerged with nothing but the desire to keep her precious Territory from coming apart at the seams. Less than two hundred years away from reaching her fifth millennia, she took control of Hayll for the second time. Taking the advice of the Senate, she chose fifteen men and women to fill the seats of the Council, allowing the Senate to vote upon their peers to decide upon the final ten. Included in those 15 were even men and women who had not quite met the requirement of one thousand years service in the Senate, but they were chosen for their other experiences and skill that would surely aide the Queen after herself. The voting took two weeks, though it was the last two chairs that proved to give the Senate the most difficulty. The men finally chosen for the positions were new to the Council included both one of the youngest members and one of the oldest members in the history of Hayll, but they were strong in blood, mind, and the Darkness, and their love for Hayll was unquestionable. Hayll was slowly returning to some vague sense of normalcy with a filled Senate, Council, and Territory Seat yet again.

Post Purge History

Quote

180 years after Witch purged the land, Elettra still sat at the helm of the Territory. Five thousand and five years old, she was one of the oldest living Hayllians and the longest ruling Queen in recorded history. In addition, she was dying. It was only with the aid of an Ebon Gray Jeweled Healer and a Red Jeweled Black Widow that she was still surviving. To make matters worse, everyone knew. The past 180 years of peace were slowly coming unraveled as the person who brought the great Territory out of the ashes lay dying. With child-Queens running in circles around the broken and tired mature Queens, chaos erupted in Hayll. It seemed that every woman who bore the caste of Queen came to the Senate, looking for support. While the number seemed overwhelming to those living in Draega, the number of Queens looking to take the seat was still low for a Territory, thanks to the length of time the long lived take to reproduce. And among them, there was no clear Queen ready to take control of Hayll.

Three factions formed: the Priestesses, the Black Widows, and the Warlord Princes. The all knew full well that a proper Queen was not obvious and this was the one moment that the ruling power of Hayll was unsure, and thus all three were desperate to take the Territory the moment their Queen drew her last breath. Though sharp words and obvious violence was hardly ever present, there was an all out war in Hayll. Instead of the bloody battleground, however, all the fighting was done socially at any and all the parties the Territory was so well known for. The heart and soul of this silent war, however, seems to really be right in the middle of the Senate. Members of the factions are not so dull as to believe they can take the Territory by storm without the Senate, thus, members from each have been buying out Senators, forging their bloodlines, and even killing off their own families to put themselves in positions of Power, as they see it. Frustrated with these attempts and the demise of the Territory’s system, many Senators oppose this and have begun finding ways to first ban talk that incorporates any of the factions’ plans and slowly wish to make it so none of the factions may hold a Senate seat. However, the factions argue that this goes against the values and ideals of Hayll and that such a strong movement such as the factions deserves more seats in the Senate as to properly represent Hayll, causing more and more issues as the days pass. Arguments are irrational and flawed, but such are the ways of politics. It does not matter how irrational anyone is, for tempers are hot and minds cruel and power-hungry, and all this could ever lead to would be betrayal and vigilantes. In Hayll, it is not uncommon for Senators and Faction members to go missing and their bodies found the next day. Hayll is filled with constant sex, poisoning, and political cat fights, all for the sake of power.

The Blood were not alone in this war; the Landens were as much as part of it as anyone. For the factions, they were another method they could use for sabotage. Constantly, each faction would find a Landen that worked for a member of a different faction and offer him something more; a better job, better hours, better pay, and most importantly, a better social standing. As they did this, pulling away workers, they deprived their opposition of a work force. Who has the upper hand in this is always changing, though as of late, the Priestesses seem to have the most Landens on their side.

Though it seemed as if everyone was in the middle of this war in Hayll, the Council remained unbiased and well aware of their duties. They did everything possible to make sure the word of their Queen remained law all while starting the search for the next ruler of Hayll. Sadly, with the Purge breaking and killing many of their experienced Queens, there were few Queens with experience who were able to take the Territory seat, and fewer yet that felt capable to deal with the chaos of the factions, so then many of the Queens the Council was forced to look into were but children, which made the search not quite as obvious as some wished it to be. Each of the Council had their own opinions of who was best suited to rule, and some of the younger members of the Senate even wished for the Council and Senate to rule for a time until a truly suitable Queen could be found.

Modern History

Quote

Over the five years that followed, many in the Council began to agree to this. However, one of the youngest members of the Council and the last to be voted in at the tenth seat, spoke against this. Though young for the Council at his 1,534 years, he was well respected like any other in the Council, as he proved to have a mind as sharp as the rest of them with a tongue that soothed many ills that came before the Council. More than simply clever, this man was also dripped with the words of Hayllian history and tradition. With his silver tongue, he spoke against ruling without a Queen, which did nothing but echo the voices of his fellows on the Council, and brought –like many- his own suggestion of Queen forward.

For a year, Aurelius, guardian of a Queen of his own as well as a Council member, fought to show the council of his Queen's true potential as did every other person with influence in Hayll with a Queen on their arm. Finally, after the Council and Senate were able to narrow down the search to one less than a dozen Queens, the eleven were brought before Elettra. One by one, they were asked to leave the room by the experienced Queen. She brought the numbers down to three Queens; a broken Queen who had ruled a Province since the Purge, a child Black Widow Queen who wore the Opal and had been raised in a District Court, and Sabine, the child Queen of Aurelius. The ancient Queen smiled at the Queens and nodded once; she was leaving the final decision to her people that would have to live with one of these Queens. With one Queen broken, one holding the caste that would tie her to a faction and thus very open to influence on a particular section of Hayll, the Council, after much deliberation, turned to the child Queen Sabine. Thus, the child was taken in by the court where she constantly studied with members of the Senate and with the Queen. Many were surprised by her knowledge and training, though some were still unsure. Time would only tell. Perhaps Elettra would live another five years and teach the girl enough, though perhaps not, for every day the child had to train with Elettra, the factions within Hayll grew more restless. Their chance at the Territory was slowly slipping away, and when a once in a lifetime chance starts vanishing, people become desperate.

Time was a cruel bitch. Less than a year after the child Queen Sabine began studying with Elettra, the ancient Queen finally drew her last breath and chaos erupted in Hayll. There was simply not enough time to give the casted factions the proof they required that Sabine was fit to rule when she was so very young. With so many of the factions holding seats in the Senate and the general influence over other seat-holders that they had, the Senate was at a stand-still. The people of Hayll had to choose a Queen; the entirety of their political system depended on the people’s choice, so to speak. Weeks flew past with nothing but fighting and debates filling the Senate all while the Council tried to keep things under control.

Then, out of the Chaos rose a Black Widow Queen that the Coven had been keeping safe through everything. Though some feared the influence they held over the Queen, the woman was far older than Sabine and wore the Gray. She was the Queen Hayll had been waiting for. Though suspicious, the other factions and the Senate could not deny that this new Queen held every trait that Hayll needed and desired in a Queen. She would end the war between the factions as she was blessed by the Darkness as well as having the age suitable to rule with experience and wisdom. Excited, the Council welcomed her to court with open arms where they tested her skills and questioned her character. Less than two days later, she was deemed fit to rule. However, not a week into her rule did Valinia, a Red Jeweled Black Widow, expose the Gray Jeweled woman as nothing but a Black Widow who wore layers of webs to mimic the caste of the Queen. Outraged, the Territory looked to the Coven who had presented one of their own as a false Queen. It was impossible to determine how many of the Black Widows were involved, though only a fool would believe that it took less than half the Coven to make webs so powerful and deceiving. However, Hayll could not punish such a large amount of people. Besides, for every snake there is a head, and the head of this snake had to be none other than the Head of the Coven herself, Xaviera Greco. As the woman was one of the 100 families and a very influential person, the entire Territory watched as she was brought before the Council and Senate and given a choice: death or Coliseum. The pawn of a false Queen was not so lucky. As she was of no consequence to the 100 families or to anyone else of note, the she was executed publicly to make an example of just what happened to those who impersonated a Queen.

After the execution, it is expected that the Sente's choice of a Queen, Sabine, will be placed on the throne with her puppet master, Aurelius Vincentius pulling her strings. But with the factions warring for power, that seat will be held on shaky ground.

Logged

This is a Plot Council controlled account. Please address all questions and PMs to a Staff account or staff@bloodrites.net

After the beloved Queen Elettra of Hayll died in 187 AP, Hayll nearly tore itself apart. Disparate factions vied aggressively for power, and this struggle culminated in the Senate's Consul, Nero Augustus secretly manipulating the Hourglass Coven into putting a false Queen on the throne, one he could control at will. The fraud lasted mere days before it was exposed and the fake Queen deposed, after which the Senate elected Sabine Aurelius Vincentius of the Claudii to the throne. With his part in the Coven's treason yet undiscovered, Nero remained in his role as Consul and quietly plotted a means to regain control over the throne once more. It was during this time that he was approached by a powerful, shadowy figure who called itself Ignoto. Leader of a secret, ancient organization of Hayllian patriots called the Tenebrosi Iarvis, Ignoto equipped Nero with advice and resources with which he could wrest control of the Territory from the young Queen.

He succeeded in 190 AP, when he launched a private assault against Sabine and her beloved guardian, Aurelius Vincentius. Nero had Aurelius collared and taken prisoner, and used him as ransom against Sabine's obedience. With Sabine's Master of the Guard killed in the attack, her Steward sent away, and her First Escort secretly collared and imprisoned, Nero spread a story of a Myos attack on the Queen's life that was supposedly responsible for the changes in her Triangle. The positions were filled by Nero's own sons, and at long last Nero enjoyed nearly total control of Hayll's throne. None but Sabine and those involved in Nero's treachery had any idea that Sabine had so completely lost her autonomy.

Nero, through his manipulation of Sabine, drove the Territory as hard as he could towards war with Askavi. He aggressively expanded the Praetorian Guard in collusion with Durante Canalis, the Praetor, and began laying the groundwork for a Hayllian war machine to equal and surpass Askavi's. When the Eyrien Territory sent diplomats to Hayll in 191 AP to discuss ceasing their nearly two hundred year-old reparations from the Great War, Sabine ordered them attacked where they stood. Their wings were cut off and sent back to Askavi in a box, and the diplomats were incarcerated in the Colosseum of Hayll, where they were further abused and brutalized before being forced to fight for the entertainment of their captors.

In the shadows, leadership of the Tenebrosi Iarvis changed hands. Lilith Cinerus, secretly a long-time member of the clandestine organization, slew Ignoto and took the mask of Ignoto for herself, resolving to turn Hayll away from war with Askavi in favor of purging the corruption and sickness from within its own people. To that end, she directed another Iarvis operative, Quinlan Chase, to remove and replace Nero. A master of disguises, Quinlan did as he was bid, and has been seamlessly masquerading as Hayll's Consul ever since.

On the surface, things continued unchanged, for a while. Sabine continued to rule from the throne with Quinlan, disguised as Nero, serving as her counsel. The Senate, composed of the Hundred Families, remained arrogant in their power. The slaves and gladiators in the massive Colosseum fought for their lives for the entertainment of the masses. The rich and entitled lived in luxury while the common class and below struggled to get by. Only some of the Hundred deigned to notice the spread of discontent in their Territory, and they began to not sleep as peacefully at night as they once had.

Behind the scenes, Quinlan's work is twofold. Within the heart of the Territory Court itself, he works to destabilize the once proud Senate of Hayll. Outside of his time spent pretending to be Nero, he sought out Terzo Ortona, the common born Warlord Prince that Nero had displaced from his role as Sabine's Steward for the Territory. Quinlan incited Terzo to begin stirring support for a movement they christened the Opus Populi (The Work of the People). The people of Hayll knew Terzo's name from his time as Steward, but now the name Terzo Ortona on the lips of the discontent people is spoken with fervor and hope, as he has become their leader for change. A passionate speaker and politician, Terzo has been gaining allies in the Blood and Landen, the wealthy and poor, as he lobbies for shocking change: a Senate that is composed of honest representation, not controlled by the Hundred Families alone.

Meanwhile, Ignoto charged Gideon Cinerus with freeing the slaves from the Colosseum. Among them was Cadmus Slate, the current Champion of the Colosseum and one of the men Ignoto wished to see lead the slaves to full rebellion. Once Gideon and Cadmus rallied those newly-freed slaves who were willing to go, they left the Colosseum en masse, raiding Draega for supplies. Ignoto destroyed the Colosseum in their wake while the nascent Rebellion fled south, to Faro Province. There, Michaela Augustus-Tibault, the daughter of Nero Augustus, the ruler of the Province, and the bonded Queen of Cadmus, braces for conflict. For now, the Rebellion has claimed an ancient, rural temple as its base of operations, and has begun spread to out into the nearby towns and villages to recruit support. Cadmus has set his sights higher, and will soon attempt to acquire a more powerful position for the rising Rebellion to claim: the Province Court itself.

The three wheels of Hayll’s change grind furiously forward: the Opus Populi, the Rebellion, and the Tenebrosi Iarvis who have infiltrated the core of Hayll’s Court. The potential for great revolution and for a new Hayll lays within the heart of all the strife. Equally as likely, the tensions in Hayll could boil over into an earnest and deadly civil war. Only time will tell.